Movie Review

Frailty (R)

Stacie Hougland

Photos| Movie Info

Hollywood.com Says
When Dad loses his marbles and starts whacking people in the name of God, a legacy of serial killers is born.

Story
FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) is cold on the trail of Texas' notorious "God's Hand" serial killer until he's paid a mysterious call by solemn Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey). It seems Meiks could bust the case wide open--he declares that "God's Hand"'s handiwork is that of his brother, Adam, and he's got a long and complicated tale to tell that'll explain it. Doyle's ears perk up, and he and Meiks embark on a trip to the rose garden where Meiks claims Adam buried his victims and then killed himself. On the way Meiks reveals his gory story. It involves the boys' kindly father (Bill Paxton), who was a sensitive, caring man--until he went insane one day, claiming God had chosen him and his family to kill all the "demons" that inhabit Earth disguised as real people, like their neighbors. Dad regularly makes a list and checks it twice for all the demon folk he needs to exterminate on any given Sunday, but he's not on this holy mission alone--his sons are "God's hands" as well, and together they must hunt down the demons and destroy them. In a weird variation on Cain and Abel, 12-year-old Fenton rebels against Dad (killing others isn't exactly his idea of a fun after-school activity), while little brother Adam is happy to join in.

Acting
Because the movie is told mostly in flashback, McConaughey is relegated mostly to voiceover and a few present-day scenes in which he acts frighteningly morose and gives the sense that there's more to his story than first meets the eye. Because most of the story takes place in 1979, the boys are the ones who really make this film work. Fenton the younger (Matthew O'Leary) is a real find--he clearly struggles with his love for his father, whom he knows has gone over the edge, and his repulsion for the deeds Dad is determined to have the family carry out. Wrestling with his own demons, he finally is able to settle on a solution for how to stop the horror. Little Adam (Jeremy Sumpter) is quite good as the innocent youngster who adores his dad and hangs on his every word, seeking only his approval and refusing to believe he has lost his mind. Paxton effectively bridges the transitions between gentle, loving father and insane murderer, insisting the boys finish all their veggies and revealing his next victim in one breath. He's like those killers on the news about whom people say, "But…he was such a nice, quiet guy." The performance almost verges on funny, if it weren't so horrific.

Direction
Paxton makes an auspicious directing debut with this tight little movie, keeping the action going and the plot flowing and letting you completely get to know the characters as they exist in their own eras. He deftly avoids choppy flashbacks, and the potentially confusing story is perfectly clear, yet no less gripping. The killing scenes are absolutely squirm-in-your-seat nightmarish, but thankfully we don't see all the grisly details, as with so many slasher flicks. Instead we're shown everything right up to the point of death and we're spared the splattering blood and guts. It's just enough to make you cringe and cover your eyes, and ultimately far worse to imagine the outcome than to see it all in special effects and makeup. Frailty is also scarier than the typical slasher flick bloodfest--it's way more frightening to imagine the nice guy next door committing such crimes than a made-up character wearing a hockey mask or razors on his gloves. The movie also comes up with a startling twist that you don't see coming right away. But--without revealing too much--the movie falls apart at the end with some enormous problems. Sometimes directors try to explain too much; we won't, so we'll just leave it at that.

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